Missing
by loopylou992
Summary: Edward vanishes after a night out celebrating his brothers birthday. Bella has to deal with the consequences of his actions from one night that has resulted in his abduction. Will he find his way back to her? Can she forgive him? Bella's POV of my story Taken.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: I own nothing other than this storyline no copyright infringement is intended.**

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There are so many people around me as I made my way through the crowded streets of Chicago. I saw landmarks that I recognized, but they weren't the reason that I was here. I needed to see Edward; to be with him again and be back in his arms.

The despair that I felt deep inside me, was ripping my heart in two. When alone, I cried myself to sleep. During the day, I wore a mask, which gave the impression that I was coping; that everything is okay.

I was sure that those closest to me, knew the truth. If they did, they said nothing to me. Maybe they were afraid that I would break down completely in front of them and they wouldn't be able to handle it. I had done so well in holding myself together; the persona I portrayed was like being an actress. Apart from no one ready to shout _"Cut!"_ My loneliness and torment seemed never ending and I didn't know why I was being punished this way.

I made my way across the street, dodging cars as they careered toward me; horns blaring and the drivers swearing and shaking their fists at me in anger. I didn't care, they wouldn't stop me this time.

I had been here before and last time, I couldn't find him anywhere. It like he was hiding from me, but where, and who was helping him stay hidden?

People that I knew, tried to stop me going forward to reach my destination. First to appear was Carlisle. He stepped out from a store front standing before me; reaching out with open arms, pulling me into a hug. Returning the affection before I pulled back to face him. He smiled at me, opening his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He looked confused and tried again, but again, his lips moved, but the words wouldn't come.

He grasped at his throat in some kind of panic and then clapped his hands together and laughed soundlessly. Frustrated, I push him away and stepped around him. I had no time to wait around, playing stupid games.

Moving on, I saw Alice and Jasper, walking toward me and when they saw me, they looked to each other nodded, only to turn and walk away; ignoring me.

That confused me. They had always been there for me, supporting me through the last few months of hell.

I shouted after them, but they ignored me.

Rose and Emmett were the next ones to appear from out of a cab that pulled up next to me. They had huge smiles on their faces and rushed over to greet me. Rose embraced me first, then Emmett. I was sure he had managed to crack a couple of my ribs with his bear hug.

They began talking to me and I couldn't understand what they are saying. It sounds like Spanish, but I couldn't follow it.

Asking them to repeat what they had said, resulted in more of the same gibberish talk. Before frustration set in, they walked away, leaving me standing there staring after them with my mouth wide open.

Turning around confused, I took in my surrounding, again. Yep, I was still in Chicago, but this felt more like the Twilight Zone.

Then I saw him in the distance. He stood out to me in any crowd. He was the love of my life and I couldn't bear to be without him for another second, so I ran toward him, pushing through the crowds that were surrounding me. They were obstructing me from my goal, to reach him.

I shouted his name and as it fell from my lips, he turned around. His eyes searched the crowd.

Instinctively, I reached up, waving my arm frantically at him, and I was sure he had seen me when he smiled. The whole face lit up with a look love and my heart swelled; tears filled my eyes.

Then I realized the look on his face wasn't for me. I saw her as she made her way through the crowd that parted like the Red Sea, allowing her the easy access to him that I had been denied for so long.

She walked toward him; her blond hair swaying down her back. She was everything that I wasn't. Blond, tall and confident.

He threw his arms open as she got closer to him and took her into his arms, kissing her with a passion that used to be reserved only for me. I got closer to them and then I heard him speak to her, "C'mon baby, let's get outta here. I have our usual room booked at The Peninsula; champagne is on ice."

I feel a pang of jealousy course through me and I ran over to them; grabbing her shoulder, spinning her around, wanting to see the face that he looked at so adoringly. The face that replaced me in his heart and his bed.

He stepped between us, blocking my view of her. Glaring at me, he looked angry, "Bella, what the fuck are you doing here? I thought you knew by now. I don't want you, we're over. Now leave before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

I was left standing there speechless on the sidewalk as he walked away. All I managed to scream was, "Edward! No!"

I woke from the dream or should it be a nightmare? I found that I was in our bed, in the apartment ...alone.

The door flew open and Alice bounded over to me, throwing her arms around me. I began to sob uncontrollably, "Bella, it's okay, it was only a dream."

That made me cry even more, knowing that I hadn't really seen him; been close enough to touch him, but at least I took some comfort in knowing that he might not be with her, "Oh, Alice, it was so real. You were there with Jasper and, and ..."

Tear were now streaming down my cheeks and I was in Alice's arms while she continued to comfort me, letting me ride out my sorrow. It wasn't the first time she had comforted me after one of those nightmares. Normally, I was alone and there is no one to tell me that everything would be okay and not to worry.

I had been having dreams like that pretty much since Edward had been missing. I said missing, but others thought he left me and ran off with another woman. Not me though, I knew him and I was sure now that there is more behind his sudden disappearance than we are lead to believe.

The one thing I did know was, I wouldn't give up hope until I knew for sure where he was. If he didn't want me then he would have to tell me to my face. I wouldn't give up on him. That would mean giving up on us. I loved him heart and soul and would fight for us... for him, every step of the way. I would have him back ...no matter what.

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**Authors Note**:  
Beta'd by DreamofRob10.

Thanks for reading this and I hope that you like hearing from Bella. Please do leave a review.

I am donating a piece to the Fandom Fights Sandy appeal, I have a poll on my FF profile so please do vote for what you would like to read.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke with a stiff neck, kinda dazed, wondering where I was. Then I remembered, I was on the couch in our apartment. Only this time not alone, Edward is here with me. I was in his arms where I belonged. I had spent too many nights sleeping here when Edward first was gone. I couldn't sleep in our bed; it was too painful. There were too many memories connected to it, reminding me of the man that I loved and missed.

I somehow managed to extract myself from Edwards grasp, which wasn't an easy task. The whiskey he had drank last night, on top of his sleeping and other meds, had obviously done the trick because he was in a deep sleep.

I hadn't heard him talk in his sleep, which was good. That was what he needed. A respite from the nightmares that haunted him; causing him the dark terrors that I was seeing from the outside and every time I looked in his eyes when he woke from one, I could feel his fear ...it was palpable.

Glancing to make sure he was still resting, I got my phone and sent Emmett a text, asking him to come over when he was awake. It was only 6 am, but I knew he would be up and probably in the middle of his morning run. He worked as a bodyguard, or as he preferred to call it, personal security. He certainly was the right build, 6 foot 6 inches of pure muscle. He didn't look like a typical bodyguard, which was probably why he was so good at it and in such high demand. I wasn't really surprised that he sent a text straight back saying he was five minutes away.

I went to put on a pot of coffee. I was in dire need of it if he wasn't.

I was getting changed out of the clothes I had slept in, needing to feel a little more human, when my phone vibrated, announcing Emmett's arrival. I opened the door to be greeted with a bear hug from him. I put my finger to my lips indicating that he needed to be quiet, which knowing Emmett, I hoped he could manage it.

I led him into the lounge where his face took on a serious look. He saw his brother unconscious and the whiskey glass on the coffee table.

"Hey B, what's the emergency?" He asked looking concerned. What I didn't know was, there were bruises forming on my upper arms, and he'd seen them.

Walking over to me, he pointed at them. I quickly pulled the sleeve down to hide the evidence. There was no way I could let Edward see those.

"Whoa ... brother or not, if he did _anything_ to hurt you, I'll kill him, myself," Emmett hissed. His face taking on the classic Cullen scowl that all the men in the family manage so well.

"No, it's fine. He didn't mean to… I mean it's okay. Well, as okay as it can be. Things well, things got difficult for him. I think it was the dreams again; he was completely terrified. Can you move him to the guest room, please? He needs to be in a proper bed. We can talk over coffee."

I knew that I was rambling, making things sound worse than they were. The reason I'd asked Emmett over was because I really needed to talk to someone, and he had always been the non-judgemental person that I could talk to without sounding crazy in recent months. He was what I needed and quickly became someone that I leaned on.

Emmett frowned. I knew he was trying to work out why I'd said the guest room and not our bedroom. Then he nodded, walking over to his sleeping brother muttering, "C'mon sleeping beauty."

He lifted him like he weighed nothing, taking him to the guest room. I heard Emmett's sharp intake of breath when he saw the battle scars, faded bruising and the tattoo that was adorning his back, marking him as their property. I knew what he was feeling because I was shocked and horrified when I saw him without his shirt on for the first time. I couldn't let Edward know my reaction to it. I couldn't reject him or make him think for one second that I wouldn't want him any more.

Once Emmett has placed him on the bed, I opened the curtains and covered him with a blanket so he wouldn't feel cold when he finally woke from his catatonic state. We walked back to the lounge, heading straight to the kitchen where I grabbed a couple of mugs of coffee. Taking a deep breath to prepare myself before joining Emmett; ready for the questions that were sure to arise from what he had just seen. I had to get in there first, head him off before he blew it out of proportion.

"Em, before you go off the deep end and start acting all macho, there's nothing for you to worry about. We're okay. It was just a really tough night last night. I think the terrors are the worst that I've seen. When he calmed down he just had a couple of drinks and passed out in here. He just needed to get some proper sleep." I paused to take breath and gauge the reaction from Emmett but there was nothing. Damn ...he would be a great poker player. Taking a deep breath I continued, "I was so scared that I would lose him, again. I just needed to see a friendly face this morning. I knew you would be up and about early, and he could use a friend right now."

I was feeling much calmer and thought that Emmett was okay with what I had just revealed. I certainly didn't expect the reaction that I was about to get,** "**For fucks sake, B, you can't do this alone! He could injure you or do some serious damage if he tried without even meaning to. He's changed so much; he's stronger than you think. I'm not happy about you being here alone with him, and I'm damn sure that Mom and Dad will agree with me. We'll all feel better if you had someone stay here with you. I could ask one of my teams if you don't want us here. Maybe Edward could go back to the clinic…"

Choking back a sob, panic coursed through me. I interrupted him. I didn't want to hear that they wanted to send him away, again. I had only just got him back, "Emmett, no! You can't tell anyone about what I told you. He's doing okay. The terrors will pass and he just grabbed me in his confusion. I will _**not **_send him away again... I just can't! We both know that he would never hurt me. He's due to see Dr. Newton, tomorrow. I'm sure he'll talk it all through then and everything will be okay."

I was hoping to convince myself and Emmett as well. I didn't feel hopeful that Edward would keep the appointment. He had managed to get out of the last couple and didn't want to relive the horrors with a stranger. He said that he just wanted to put it behind him and move on, but given the night terrors and his reactions to me in bed, I felt that this would be a long process and not one that he could complete alone.

To lose over three months of your life was bad enough. Then just try and pick up where you left off, pretending it never happened, was impossible when you had been through what he had. I knew he couldn't do this alone, but yet at times, I felt like he was slamming the door in my face when I tried to help.

He had spoken to me about some of what happened, but I knew that he was editing events, trying to protect me. Part of me was scared that Emmett was right; that Edward would lash out, not meaning to and somehow hurt me. Sometimes he got a look in his eyes that grew almost black. A contrast from the beautiful deep green pools that I would spend hours gazing into. I had no doubt in my mind that it would be hard on the road to being _'normal'_.

"So, B, when are you going back to work?"

Emmett tried to change the subject and lighten the mood. Moving next to me he threw his arm around me, giving me a hug. I shrugged my shoulders, "Dunno... they said I could continue to work from home until things got better. I wanted to work and as a compromise, Tanya said she didn't want me going into the office until I was ready."

I worked as a literary agent for Denali Publishing and had done for the last five years. I loved my work; finding up and coming authors. My work was never boring, which I enjoyed and as a bonus, could be done from home in the office or anywhere with Wi-Fi and my laptop. It helped to keep me sane while Edward was gone. I just immersed myself in other people's stories where a happily ever after was almost guaranteed, although at the times, I didn't see us having one. In darker moments, it gave me some kind of hope for my future. Wherever that was and whoever that was with, if not Edward.

"Hey, earth to Bella."

I realized that Emmett must've been carried on talking to me. I had completely spaced out. My mind replayed what had been said between us regarding Edward going away.

I stood at the window in our lounge, just staring off into the distance. The sleepless nights were really starting to take their toll on me; I didn't even remember getting up off the couch.

"As I was saying, Mom and Dad said the lake house is yours if you feel you need to get away from everything for a few days."

His face lit up like a Christmas tree, when he continued, "Maybe me and Rose could join you both if you want company. Ask Alice and Jasper; get all the Cullen kids together?"

I knew he was only trying to make things as normal as possible, but I wasn't sure if this would help or not. It would be nice to see everyone, but it would be the most people that he had been around for a while. His family could be quite overwhelming at times, but I thought about the offer. I could see us all sitting out on the terrace by the lakeside, with the sun setting. Me and Edward laughing and fooling around with his family like we used to.

I promised Emmett that I would talk it over with Edward and see what he wanted to do. I sighed heavily and was brought back from my idyllic daydream by a throat clearing in the doorway... startling me.

I turned around and there he stood. Except for some faded bruising, he still looked like my Edward, the one I remembered.

As he ran his hand through, what was left of, his hair, I saw his knuckles were starting to heal. Emmett was bound to notice the injuries were new and start with the questions again. I groaned inside at the thought. He paused for a moment, looking a million miles away. Then groggily, he made his way over to me. Emmett stood too, taking a protective stance behind me. I wasn't the only person who noticed this, "Stand down soldier."

He placed kiss on the top of my head before nearly collapsing, causing his brother to rush to his side and help him across to the couch.

Once I saw that he was settled, I went to get him coffee. Strong and black was the order of the day. Drinking alcohol on top of those meds, was stupid. I bet he felt like elephants were tap dancing on his head this morning.

"Hey, how you feeling, baby?" I asked with a smile while wondering where he had gone to in his mind just a minute before.

"Rough night. I'm sorry; I didn't mean for you to lose sleep over me," was his response between gulps of coffee. I caught the look of guilt that flashed across his face.

"Emmett stopped by while he was out on his morning run. We were just catching up; hope we didn't disturb you."

I also and more importantly hoped, that he hadn't heard any of Emmett's earlier speech. It would surely kill him, "Ah, is that how I ended up in the guest room? Didn't think you'd managed that on your own and I remember being in here... I think." He shook his head as if trying to bring the memories forward

"Yeah, bro, guilty as charged. Can't let you hog the couch all day, there's a game on later," Emmett said looking sheepish.

We all laughed. Any tension that I had expected was not there and I was relieved, "So boys, who wants breakfast?"

I was greeted by two nodding heads. I busied myself in the kitchen leaving the two of them to talk. I hoped Emmett wouldn't bring up my rapidly forming bruises or any of Edward's battle scars. They were to remain the elephant in the room for now or at least, I hoped they would.

I made more coffee, squeezed fresh orange juice and whipped up a huge pile of pancakes with maple syrup. As we ate, we chatted about Emmett's job and Rose, also. She just returned back from Mexico on her latest assignment; she worked as a freelance fashion photographer and was a damn good one.

With her looks, most people assumed that she was meant to be in front of the camera, rather than behind it. She had been a model at one point, but preferred taking the photos rather than posing for them.

Emmett brought up the idea of going to their parents lake house for a long weekend. I stiffened, thinking that Edward would refuse point blank, but he just looked at me, smiling before he said it sounded like a wonderful idea. He agreed that getting everyone together, sounded like a great idea.

At that point, I realized Edward's _'everything's okay',_ façade and deepening denial, was back and wondered how long before it cracked this time.

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**Authors Note:**  
Beta'd by DreamofRob10 – thanks hun.

Hope you don't mind the double update on this, I just wanted to get it out there. The next update will take a little longer seeing as I have done this today.

IF you love this and want to hear from Edward, check out Taken – that is his side of the same story. I have to thank Fantastical (Pamela) for giving me the nudge I needed to post this, she asked for this as an out-take for a charity compilation I am donating to and I remembered that I had this to post.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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Finally, it felt like my Edward was coming back to me. I knew that a couple of hours spent alone at his parents lake house, wasn't going to change what had happened to him, but this was a start. When he'd led me upstairs, I was nervous about what would happen, but he was more like the old Edward that I had missed, and our afternoon love making session was in a word, amazing. He was so gentle and loving, it was a million miles away from how things had been in the last couple of weeks. I hoped that this would be the breakthrough that I had been waiting for. I felt like the cat that had got the cream in more ways than one.

Luckily, I'd asked the others to arrive later, giving us some space to be alone and for him to acclimatize. The last thing he needed was to feel crowded. I knew that if he lashed out in any form of anger, then Emmett wouldn't think twice about taking him down. Brother or not, his first instinct would be to protect me.

We spent the couple of hours in relative peace and it was like we were in our own little bubble. It was perfect. We went out onto the decked area outside which overlooked the lake. There was a large lounging area that Esme had put in. There was a cross between a bed and a couch, which was where we curled up together, basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun. I must've fallen asleep in Edward's arms. I woke with a jolt when I heard a loud bang, it sounded like a gun going off. I let out a small scream, spinning around to find that I was alone. _Where the hell was Edward?_

I heard voices and realized that the bang I had heard, was Emmett announcing his arrival by slamming the front door almost off its hinges, "Em, you oaf, what are you doing? Way to announce our arrival."

Oooh. . . Rose sounded pissed at him.

I got up and turned to see Edward and Emmett hugging each other like they hadn't seen each other in years. It had only been a couple of days since he was last at the apartment _'checking in' _on us.

Rose saw me hesitate in the doorway and came rushing over, "Oh, Bella, it's so good to see you!"

She beamed at me, giving me a hug which I gladly returned. I liked Rose, she wasn't only beautiful, but able to keep Mr. Ego himself in line. She wore the pants in their relationship and he knew it. I think secretly, he loved it.

Rose went over to Edward, holding her arms out for a hug from him. I wasn't sure how he would react, but he hugged her back then she spoke without really thinking of what she was saying, "Gosh, Edward, you're looking good, I haven't seen you since…"

You could cut the tension in the room, with a knife. I was all too aware of the last time she had seen Edward and I'm damn sure, so was he. That was the night he was taken away from me. I saw him stiffen in reply to her comment, "You guys want iced tea?"

It was the only thing that I could think of to say to break the silence, but not the tension that I could feel rapidly building in the air.

"I just need to freshen up and change first. I came straight from a studio shoot which, my god, was long and boring." Rose couldn't make eye contact with either me or Edward. She obviously didn't know what to say to make it better.

"Hmm. . . need a hand freshening up babe?" Emmett suggestively wiggled his eyebrows at her. He broke the tension with his humor and she swatted him on the arm before promptly running off upstairs, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Can you two not leave each other alone for five minutes?" Edward shouted as he ran after her. I blushed, thinking of us only a couple of hours earlier.

I looked into his eyes and saw that he had remembered the last time he saw Rose. He was obviously hurting, and it pained me that there was nothing that I could do to take that pain away.

Not two minutes later, Emmett came back down stairs with a face like he had been told that there was no Santa, "Awww. . . she knock you back stud?" I asked, teasingly.

He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer ignoring my teasing. He sat on the large couch and started flicking through the TV channels. Edward moved to join him. Something was off; I just couldn't put my finger on it. Emmett caught my eye and motioned with his eyebrows upstairs.

I went upstairs to find Rose sitting on the bed with her head in her hands. When she acknowledged me, I saw that she had been crying. The last thing I'd expect her to do, "Fuck, Bella, I am so sorry! I just said it. I didn't think about the last time I saw him. Is he okay?"

I joined her on the bed and reassured her, "Hun, there's nothing that you can do, now. I know that you didn't mean anything by it and I'm damn sure that he does, too. It's just things have not been easy for him."

I remained on the bed while Rose got changed and fixed her tear, stained face. Once she had composed herself, we went downstairs. I grabbed a jug of iced tea from the fridge and sat outside to enjoy the sunshine, while the guys flicked aimlessly through the sports channels in silence.

Rose and I sat discussing my work and she wanted to know about any new hot authors that she should look out for. I promised to keep her in the loop. Then she told me about her recent trip to Mexico where she had been doing a photo-shoot for a new bikini for an up and coming designer. The models were all unknowns and she didn't appreciate having to tell them how to pose. She said she was tempted to get back in front of the camera and show them how it was really done. We were laughing over this when Hurricane Alice finally hit land.

In typical Alice style, she breezed through the door with a huge smile on her face and danced through the room. She went to her brothers first and after hugs and embraces, she made her way out to me and Rose before Jasper had even made it through the door. I had to laugh at her. She had unending energy levels coupled with such a sunny disposition that she instantly lifted any tension that was in the air.

She sat with us, cross legged and gulping the iced tea from my glass by the time Jasper made it out to us, "Afternoon ladies," he announced in his soft Texan drawl, bowing slightly at the waist with his head cocked to one side; a bemused smile on his face. I found myself laughing at him. He was always the perfect gentleman. He held doors open for us ladies and is so full of old fashioned, southern charm. It was like he was from another time. Alice was clearly smitten.

Jasper was a perfect fit for Alice. She was as non-stop ball of energy and he was the calming influence. It reminded me of Ying & Yang. They completed each other, although, I was sure that both her brothers don't want to think about Alice being anything other than their baby sister that needed protecting at all costs.

Her arrival seemed to bring back Edward's previously cheerful mood. He was now smiling as he watched her bound around. It was great to see that he had a genuine smile on his face. There weren't enough of those lately.

Me, Rose and Alice, decided to leave our guys to their perpetual hopping through the sports channels. We stayed outside on the deck chatting about what felt like every subject under the sun. Apart from one – Edward's absence and his subsequent return to me.

I knew that they were concerned. I could read it in their faces no matter how much they tried to hide it. In the last few months, I've become and expert at reading people and their reactions to me while Edward was gone. A lot of them had pity written across their faces. A few thought that I was several kinds of crazy for not believing that he had left me of his own volition. Some thought that he had ran away with another woman.

'Hey, Bella, come back to us," Alice said, waving her hands in front of my face. Suddenly, I was brought back into the conversation realizing that I had zoned out, again. Lack of sleep combined with worry was sending me off into my own little world at times. It seemed to be better at times than reality.

We sat out on the deck, for a couple of hours. When then the guys decided to surprise us with Pizza's from my favorite pizzeria, Luigi's, in the town. After pizza and some beers, Edward and I walked down to the beach, sitting there together on the soft sand watching the sun set. I sat between his legs with my back to his chest. His arms wrapped around me; kissing my neck. They were slow, soft and gentle kisses. His hands reached under the thin tank top that I was wearing causing small electric shocks through my skin. This felt right. I turned around to face him; straddling his lap. I gazed deep into his eyes. . . he was back! My Edward was here. . . back with me where he belonged.

I leaned forward, kissing him gently. I could feel him hesitate and I hesitated, too. It was more out of reaction to him. It was enough for us to realize that things were starting to look brighter for us. More like the old times. I settled back into my previous position and continued to watch the sun set.

As we sat there, I felt something there in that moment, that I hadn't felt for many months – safe and secure. No one could come between us, again and nothing would ever tear us apart not matter what the future may bring. I had to put the past behind me.

I thought back to the time when I thought Edward had left me. I fought it. . . refusing to believe it. Hell, I nearly ended up going crazy at one point.

I let someone close to me and I regretted letting my guard down and letting them get so close. But I truly did believe that he had left me. I couldn't tell him about this. It would set him back so much in his recovery. No one knew about this and I was happy. It would have to remain a secret and something that I was ashamed of.

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**Authors note:**  
Thanks for reading, I hope that you are enjoying hearing Bella's side of the story – if you are not already reading Taken, the link is on my profile and that is Edward's story.

Beta'd by Dreamof Rob10 – thanks as always hun x x


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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The family bonding time was going far better than I could ever hoped. It was nice to be around people, again. I think that Edward felt the love, too. We decided to spend the day outdoors considering the weather held up nicely. There were very few people around, but the area was so secluded that we were lucky to see anyone, most days. I knew I didn't have to worry about Edward seeing people and feeling anxious. I think that's why Esme chose the house for the peace and quiet to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The guys decided to go out on Carlisle's boat; leaving us behind to have some _'girlie time'_ , as Emmett put it, with a roll of his eyes. They planned to BBQ that night with the pile of meat that we had stocked up. From what I saw, it looked like we were expecting to feed twenty people, not just us six. Then again, Emmett could eat enough for three or four people, at the best of times.

I spent the morning catching up with Rose and Alice, which was great. We planned to meet up and have lunch when we were back in the city. I think they sensed I was putting my heart and soul into being there for Edward and said I needed a break. There was talk of a spa day, but I wasn't sure about being away from him for that long. There were too many memories that associated with a day like that. Even now, it made my blood run cold.

We saw the guys come back from their outing, on the boat, but something was wrong... terribly wrong. Edward was walking ahead of Emmett and Jasper; his previously happy mood, appeared to have vanished. He stormed off upstairs, brushing me aside. His face was completely ashen.

Shocked, I looked between Emmett and Jasper, hoping for an answer to what happened to cause this drastic change in Edward. I was about to go after him, when Jasper indicated that he wanted to talk to me. He started to walk towards the beach, looking over his shoulder to see if I had noticed him. Emmett was so distracted by Rose strutting around like she was on a catwalk, that he didn't see either Jasper or me leave. At least if he did, he chose to ignore it.

I followed Jasper down to the beach where we walked for a few minutes before he broke the silence that hung heavily between us, "I'm sorry, Bella. I told him to leave it, but you know what Em's like when he gets something into that thick head of his."

I stopped dead, staring at him, "What're you talking about?"

Panic started to fill me. I knew how much, like a bull in a china shop, Emmett was when he set his mind on something. This wasn't going to be good and I mentally prepared myself. "For fucks sake, Jasper, what the hell happened out there on the boat? Whatever happened you need to tell me."

"Emmett... he couldn't leave it alone. He wanted to know that Edward was okay. He thought that he could get him to open up if it were just us three. He knows he's holding back and the counselling sessions aren't doing what they should. He just wanted to be the _big brother_ and make it all okay. I told him it was a bad idea and that..."

I cut him off mid-sentence. "You have to tell me exactly what went on."

My stomach started to do somersaults. I had a very bad feeling about this.

Jasper turned to face me, taking both my hands, he looked into my eyes. It felt like he was searching my soul, gauging my reaction before he continued, "He asked him straight out what happened while he was gone. Edward flipped out and lost it. He tried to punch Emmett."

I felt my heart sink and a small strangled cry escaped my throat. I didn't realize that my knees had given way from under me until I found myself sobbing uncontrollably in a heap on the sand. This weekend was supposed to be about making progress, spending quality time together, not opening Pandora's fucking box. That lid won't close, once opened. I knew Edward would only talk about this when he was ready and not before. I had been given glimpses, a bit like seeing a trailer for a movie. You see the highlights, enough to get you gripped, but wanting more. I didn't really know if I wanted to see this movie, but it now felt like I had no choice. I was also concerned about what Edward was still hiding from me. There was something that he was keeping hidden. I just couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew him too well. I just hoped I would survive his revelations.

Jasper must've carried me back to the house because the next thing I knew, I was somewhat aware of, was an almost hysterical Alice. When she saw me in Jaspers arms, I heard Edward's voice. He sounded so angry, but there was also a clam edge to his voice. That's what scared me the most. "Jasper, if you're responsible for hurting her, I will end you!"

"Hey, calm down, you know I would never harm a hair on Bella's head. We were walking on the beach, talking and she collapsed. I had to bring her back somehow. I couldn't just leave the lady there." Jasper's response was quick, "Let me take her upstairs and check her over... please?"

Edward grudgingly moved aside, but was right at Jasper's shoulder as he carried me upstairs to the bedroom. He placed me gently on the bed before telling everyone to leave, giving me some space so he could do his thing. Edward refused to leave, which was no surprise to me, but as a compromise, he remained in the doorway, watching intently, monitoring Jaspers every move. It was like he was standing guard, waiting for him to do something wrong so he could pounce.

Jasper spoke in a very calm voice, reassuring me. "You're going to be okay, Bella. You're completely exhausted. Please let me give you something to help you sleep."

Sitting upright, quick as a flash, I managed to say, "No! I'm fine... I just need to rest. I don't want anything." He gave me a knowing look. He knew I wouldn't accept any drugs, but he had to ask.

From his facial expression, I could tell he knew there was more to this than from what I was saying. "Okay...Um, rest here for a while." He glanced over his shoulder toward the door where Edward stood. "Edward, if you wanna stay, that's okay. You need to let her rest, no further stress."

Edward stepped back into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing my hair back out of my eyes. He looked at me with a look of pure love and concern on his face. The tables were turned now; it was usually me that wore that look as of late.

As Jasper left the room, I manage to say, "Always handy to have a doctor in the family. Thank you, Jasper."

This made Jasper chuckle before he turned, doing his trademark bow saying, "My pleasure, Ma'am."

I laid back on the bed, not realizing how tired I felt. I was in Edward's arms... my safe haven. I was afraid to look into his eyes. I was afraid of what I would see, looking back at me. I knew in my heart that he was brooding over this, trying to work out the details of who was to blame. How he would react scared me. Tiredness washed over me and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and I fell asleep.

I woke up alone, Edward had left me and I felt hurt that he wasn't with me, but I could hear voices from downstairs. The best I could hope for is that he had made amends with his brother. I couldn't bear the tension to continue.

I made my way downstairs, seeing him and heard how normal everything sounded, so I made my way over to him, slipping my arms around his waist, leaning my head against his back.

He turned to face me and asked, "You okay, baby? We're gonna cook up a storm here, so I hope you're hungry."

I smiled back at him before I answered, "Starving."

He smiled at me and with a glint in his eye, said, "Angel, we have visitors."

He motioned towards where Esme & Carlisle were sitting looking out over the lake, lost in conversation with each other. I was thrilled to see them, and rushed over. After hugs and kisses, we sat down together and discussed what was happening with me at work and what we had been doing up here. I obviously edited, heavily, missing out today's incident. There was no point worrying them more than necessary.

After we had eaten, we were all lounging around outside. The night was warm, but the fire pit was lit to give us extra warmth while we sat and enjoyed our drinks together. Something had been bothering Edward. He hadn't said anything, but every now and again he frowned almost as if he was arguing with himself in his head. I wouldn't push this. If he wanted to talk to me, then he would. I knew he probably needed time to adjust to being back home. He was also probably fighting a war within himself, so I concentrated on enjoying the time with his family.

He suddenly went to get more drinks despite the fact that we had a supply in an ice bucket near us. It put me on edge, wondering what was going on with him. When he returned, I could see that something was definitely bothering him, but he wouldn't look me in the eye as he started to speak addressing us as a group. "Ladies, I'm not sure if you want to stay to hear this, but if you don't then I understand. I need to do this, though. I feel that it's time for me to tell you exactly what happened to me while I was gone."

I looked around the group to gauge their reactions. Carlisle gave him a smile before getting up and patting him on the back to show his support. Everyone else said they wanted to stay. Rose and Alice both said that if it got too much, they'd go inside. Esme made it clear she was staying, no matter what. Emmett gave me an encouraging grin. As for me, I certainly wasn't leaving him.

Edward looked at us all one at a time whilst he spoke, "This is something that you all need to know about. This may be extremely painful for Bella, but part of this story she already knows. This all starts well before I was taken, and I know now, this is directly linked to my abduction." I began to panic. This was going to drag up some rather painful memories for me, although, I could only imagine what it was going to do to him.

He walked over to me, whispering in my ear, "I'm so sorry, baby. Are you okay with me revealing this?"

Pulling back from me, he placed a kiss on my forehead. I knew he had to do this. It might as well be here, on his terms, with the love and support of his family around us. I nodded my agreement at him.

He looked at us all, again, one by one. This unnerved me as I felt like he was trying to remember what we looked like before he left us. I watched as he took a large swig of the beer he was holding in his hand.

Once the bottle was resting at his side, once again, "Right, here goes."

* * *

**Authors Note:**

Beta'd as always by the fabulous DreamofRob10 – loves ya.

There is more to come from this, there are several chapters all pre-written from when I stripped these out of the story Taken and reposted that soley as EPOV. If you want to know what is going on in Edward's head – check out Taken.


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